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Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

Original poster

Clearing?

36 replies

mrsconradfisher · 12/04/2023 09:14

I posted last week about DS getting rejected from Loughborough so won’t bore everyone again about it. He has asked if he Firms one of his rather limited choices and then gets the grades he is hoping for then can he just reject that on results day and go into clearing? I suspect he is hoping that if he ends up with 2 A stars and an A he can call up Loughborough and they will magically offer him a place. His reasoning is that not everyone will get the grades predicted so there should still be places…honestly for an intelligent boy he is very naive sometimes! I’ve tried explaining that most of the courses on Clearing won’t be where he wants to go but clearly my words are falling on deaf ears! So someone please tell me I’m correct, there is little chance of Sports Science at Loughborough, Bath or Exeter being on clearing and there isn’t likely to be anything better than Birmingham which he has already got a good offer from?

OP posts:
marthasmum · 13/04/2023 11:12

Yes - I need to check it out for my DD too as she is similar, hoping for a miracle and for her highly desired course at Leeds to be in clearing! She has three other offers but apparently none of them are what she wants. It’s hard for them isn’t it!

Original poster
mrsconradfisher · 13/04/2023 11:19

marthasmum · 13/04/2023 11:12

Yes - I need to check it out for my DD too as she is similar, hoping for a miracle and for her highly desired course at Leeds to be in clearing! She has three other offers but apparently none of them are what she wants. It’s hard for them isn’t it!

It really is. I think they get fixated in their mind of being in a particular place and then nothing else will do. It’s also not helping that none of his friend group including his girlfriend of 3 years are going to Uni. Within his whole 6th form there are only around 8 people applying so he has no one really to chat/discuss things with apart from me so I get the brunt of the frustration. Hope your DD gets the grades she needs and finds somewhere she is happy with.

OP posts:
marthasmum · 13/04/2023 11:23

Likewise 🤗 I agree it must be hard for him if it’s not what his peer group are doing. My DS is similar doing A levels when all his friends are doing apprenticeships. With those predictions though he’ll get into a good uni. All the best

LillianGish · 13/04/2023 12:05

In his shoes I would firm Birmingham (fantastic uni and city) and see what grades he gets. If he gets really stellar grades - A*s - then he can think about having a year off and applying again with grades in hand and do something suitably sporty in his year off (or just get a job to have a bit of cash behind him when he starts uni a year later). At the moment it's all a bit academic - what if he had been predicted better grades? What if he gets better grades? The idea that there will be fantastic courses in clearing is a bit fanciful. I get that he's totally fixated on Loughborough (I have followed your other threads), but if he's not prepared to countenance a year off (assuming he gets the grades) then I think that makes his decision for him. And what if he gets ABB? Birmingham's not such a bad default position.

Original poster
mrsconradfisher · 13/04/2023 12:13

LillianGish · 13/04/2023 12:05

In his shoes I would firm Birmingham (fantastic uni and city) and see what grades he gets. If he gets really stellar grades - A*s - then he can think about having a year off and applying again with grades in hand and do something suitably sporty in his year off (or just get a job to have a bit of cash behind him when he starts uni a year later). At the moment it's all a bit academic - what if he had been predicted better grades? What if he gets better grades? The idea that there will be fantastic courses in clearing is a bit fanciful. I get that he's totally fixated on Loughborough (I have followed your other threads), but if he's not prepared to countenance a year off (assuming he gets the grades) then I think that makes his decision for him. And what if he gets ABB? Birmingham's not such a bad default position.

No I completely agree, it’s great default position. I think the thing is with the A star he would have been given the chance (the rejection said did not meet grade requirements) to try, it’s the fact they haven’t even given him the chance that’s annoyed him. But I’m sure he’s not the only one and he’s just going to have to get over it! He will consider a gap year, he already has 2 jobs so could just carry on with them but if he has year off he wants to make it worthwhile so coaching qualifications, sport work experience etc, he would just prefer to go this year.

OP posts:
clary · 13/04/2023 13:54

My ds2 is at Lboro and I (and he!) would agree that the town is not the best. Also a dearth of student jobs as so few pubs.

He is enjoying it but mainly bc he has, after failing to get into the uni footy team (yes this certainly can be an issue), refocused to his second sport, enhanced his love for it, and the team have won every BUCS match this season abd the BUCS trophy. So proud of him. But if your son is not so specifically sporty @mrsconradfisher he might find it harder to find his niche at Lboro. In so many ways Brum offers so so much more.

NotSorry · 13/04/2023 15:13

My DS is at Birmingham and has just swapped from a BSc to an integrated Masters - so is now on a 4 year course - he is about to finish year 2. He loves it there - he could have gone to Bath or Bristol with his grades but he preferred Birmingham and has no regrets.

stilldumdedumming · 13/04/2023 16:16

This reply has been withdrawn

This message has been withdrawn at the poster's request

stilldumdedumming · 13/04/2023 16:18

Oh farting out loud - my phone is so trigger happy- I'll report my post - please don't reply to.

JocelynBurnell · 13/04/2023 23:10

Previously, any student who exceeded the conditions of their conditional offer could apply for Adjustment. Adjustment allowed the student to apply for any course at any university where they met the entry requirements without losing their firm offer.

Unfortunately, adjustment is no longer available. Now the student has to decline their offer and enter clearing.

MarchingFrogs · 16/04/2023 08:43

JocelynBurnell · 13/04/2023 23:10

Previously, any student who exceeded the conditions of their conditional offer could apply for Adjustment. Adjustment allowed the student to apply for any course at any university where they met the entry requirements without losing their firm offer.

Unfortunately, adjustment is no longer available. Now the student has to decline their offer and enter clearing.

The course still had to be available to be applied for, though (and some universities participated in neither Clearing nor Adjustment ).

Adjustment only ran for a few admissions cycles and was not particularly well-used (or understood), I believe.

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